


Blind Ambition

by sweetreverie



Series: All The Moments That Made You Mine [4]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Fluff, Found Family, Good Mom Eda Clawthorne, Good Mom Lilith Clawthorne, Mentor & Protégé, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Multi, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, a good witch family, am i planting the seeds for amity/willow/luz? i just might be, anyway its just found family fluff, brief mentions of lilith being a raging lesbian, they deal with a lovely little mishap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:00:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26707126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetreverie/pseuds/sweetreverie
Summary: “These are the bottles I put all of my expired potions in. Which means that I have no idea what was in this or how to change your hair back…” Eda said, watching all of their faces fall or go pale, “But on the bright side, you guys will be the stars of the yearbook! Nobody can top this look!”Edric and Emira looked stunned, Amity looked like she was going to be sick, and Luz looked like she was going to cry at any moment. Eda winced at the scene. She really needed a better system with all of these kids being in her house. It hadn’t been intentional, but she seemed to acquire kids by the boatload. And they were so busy, she never had the time to go through anything. They were teenagers, so they were supposed to be more responsible, but mishaps happen. Like this one.
Relationships: Amity Blight & Edric Blight & Emira Blight, Amity Blight & Edric Blight & Emira Blight & Luz Noceda, Amity Blight & Lilith Clawthorne, Amity Blight & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Lilith Clawthorne, Eda Clawthorne & Luz Noceda
Series: All The Moments That Made You Mine [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880029
Comments: 38
Kudos: 258





	Blind Ambition

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank every single one of you who has read, commented, kudo’d, whatever. Starting this series is the first time I have written just to write. I have a lot of trouble writing for myself and not to impress others. So seeing how many of you love this series so far, knowing I wrote every bit of this the way I wanted, means the world. Every review you leave makes a positive impact on me and keeps me writing. Thank you and I adore every one of you. 
> 
> Now, a lot of this ended up being centered in the present time, hence the all italics (RIP to your eyes). This is mainly because I have a (slight) plan for this AU and took a detour to give you all some fluff. I promised fluff and I have delivered. The next bits will be a lot more focused on the events leading up to the present day. Once we reach present day, the present will no longer be in italics, and I have an actual plot planned aside from learning about our fave family. I hope you will all stick with me as we move there. 
> 
> Speaking of, I wanted to take a dip into the timeline of the parts so far. Part one is set when Amity is like… nine or ten. Part one is a year after that is about a year later, when she’d be eleven-ish. And then Home is With You takes place after another year has passed. The memory in this one steps back in time, between What Makes Us Stronger and Home is With You, since it wasn’t a planned out piece. The present however, picks up right after Home is With You. I hope all of that makes sense!

_ “Oh no… No, no, no!” Amity muttered, looking at herself frantically in the mirror, “Luz!”  _

_ Loud footsteps rang through the air, followed by a loud crash. There was a muffled ‘I’m okay!’ before Luz broke through the door. Nearly knocking Amity over in the process. The two locked eyes, both widening.  _

_ “Oh my gosh!” They both exclaimed.  _

_ They looked normal. Mostly. All throughout both girl’s hair were splotches of bright color. No two splotches were the same color, or tone. And where a new color began, so did a different texture of hair. Some were wildly curly, others pin straight, even one was crimped.  _

_ “What are we going to do?” Luz asked, “It is picture day tomorrow!”  _

_ “I don’t know, how did this even happen?! Where did all of these splotches come from?” _

_ “Um… I might have an idea…”  _

_ Amity’s eyes, which had been focused on her own reflection for a moment, snapped to Luz. The girl wore a sheepish smile. She would have found it adorable, if this wasn’t such a dire situation. Hexside only did school pictures once every fifty years. Nobody really knew why - there was some backstory that nobody had the attention span to listen to. Some people said it was a tradition Principle Bump had started to honor the Emperor. Everyone else expected that it was because of a lack of funding.  _

_ Being a student at the time a book is made is said to bring everyone in it prosperity and luck. Eda said it was a bunch of crap. No magical school book was going to conjure up the perfect life. Nevertheless, Luz and Amity were taking the whole situation very seriously.  _

_ “What did you do?” Amity growled out.  _

_ “You know that shampoo we used? Well… I’m not so sure now that it was shampoo…”  _

_ “Luz!”  _

_ “I’m sorry! It was under the sink and I assumed that’s where Eda kept the extra! What else would she have under there?” The girl said, throwing her arms up slightly.  _

_ “It’s Eda! She could literally have  _ **_anything_ ** _ under there! In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if I opened this cabinet right now and found some kind of poison in it.” _

_ Amity yanked open the cabinet door. Out came an avalanche of empty sounding bottles and half-eaten snacks, plus a snaggleback. The timid pink creature looked up at them with a smile and shy wave. Growling, Amity kicked everything, including the snaggleback, back into the cabinet. A resulting ‘oh’ came from inside.  _

_ “I may not have found poison, but I proved my point.” Amity said.  _

_ “Okay, I messed up, happy? Now we need some way to fix this!”  _

_ “No,  _ **_you_ ** _ need to fix this! You got us into this situation and I need you to get us out of it.”  _

_ “What the hell are you two yelling ab-” Eda’s groggy voice came from around the corner, the witch rubbing her eyes. When she looked at them, her eyebrows rose, and she stopped, “Well, shit.”  _

_ “Eda!” Luz whined.  _

_ “Sorry, kiddo, but this is a mess. How did you even manage this?”  _

_ “Luz decided to give us what she thought was shampoo without checking it first.” Amity said.  _

_ Some of the anger had left her body after the initial shock, her shoulders hunching slightly. The range of emotions she’d experienced in such a short time had made her tired. She really just wanted to lay back down until Lilith came to pick her up. Her mind jolted. Lilith was going to kill her!  _

_ The woman had been helping her prepare everything she needed to be part of the pictures. She’d done everything with barely-hidden pride.  _ **_Her_ ** _ child was going to be one of the few students in the history of Hexside to be pictured in the yearbook. And as a top student.  _

_ Lilith had only let her sleep over at the Owl House because she needed to get some meetings out of the way. She hadn’t wanted to leave Amity at home alone, knowing how easy it was to feel lonely in the quiet house. So she’d proposed the sleepover idea to Eda. The idea went over remarkably well, with both Amity and Luz gushing about it, as if it were the first time they’d ever had one.  _

_ Eda had just laughed. She always thought Lilith was too formal and had told her so, many times. Lilith could drop Amity at the house without telling her and she wouldn’t care. She was a good kid. Plus, it warmed her heart to see the way Luz lit up when she was around.  _

_ “Alright, we can fix this. I’m the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles, after all! Luz, can you get me that bottle you used? It was just you two that used it, right?” Eda said.  _

_ Amity and Luz froze, their eyes widening. Eda didn’t like that look one bit. Before she could inquire as to who else had used it, two shrieks came from down the hall. A stampede of foot-fall announced the frantic arrival of Edric and Emira, their dark green hair in the same situation as Amity and Luz’s.  _

_ “You guys too?!” Edric said, looking between them. If it hadn’t happened to him, Amity knew he’d think this was hilarious.  _

_ “How did this happen?” Emira asked.  _

_ “For the love of Titan, you all need to calm down,” Eda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, “There was a mixup with shampoo that’s actually not shampoo, but we will fix it. It’s all  _ **_fine_ ** _! Now, I’m going to have my apple blood and then we can deal with this. Nobody talk to me until then.”  _

_ They all watched as the witch trudged away in her bunny slippers, grumbling under her breath about it being too early for this. There were also a few choice words when she stepped on something in the hall. All of them winced.  _

_ “What if she can’t fix this? What are we supposed to tell Mother and Father? They think we’re at an overnight study session!” Emira asked, looking moments away from completely panicking.  _

_ Ever since Lilith had taken Amity out of the Blight Manor, mentioning Amity had been practically forbidden. Fantessa and Rupert had told the twins that their little sister was a disgrace to the Blight name and they were not to interact with her. The twins refused to follow those orders, but would never say so to their parents. Instead, they always came up with crafty lies about where they’d been. Their parents had no idea. But now, they might. _

_ “Eda is going to fix it. She’s the most powerful witch on the isle - If anyone can do it, she can. Now we all just need to calm down. Let’s get something to eat while we wait, okay?” Luz suggested, ever the optimist.  _

_ After a moment, everyone nodded, beginning to make their way down the stairs. Luz noticed that Amity wasn’t with them, though. Letting Edric and Emira continue down to the kitchen, she went searching for her friend. She found her rummaging through her overnight bag in the bedroom.  _

_ “Amity?”  _

_ The girl jumped slightly, spinning to look at her. Luz gave her an apologetic smile. She forgot how much the girl hated people sneaking up on her.  _

_ “I… I wanted to call my m-  _ **_Lilith_ ** _ , I wanted to call Lilith and maybe she could help us too.” Amity said, holding up her scroll.  _

_ “Okay! Um, just be warned though, Eda doesn’t like people up in her space when she’s working. So she might not make it easy for Lilith to help.” Luz offered, before turning and leaving Amity to make her call.  _

_ The statement made Amity second guess her choice. This needed to be fixed quickly. And if she called her guardian, it might make the situation longer and more difficult for all of them. She didn’t want to create an unnecessary conflict. Putting her scroll away, she walked down the stairs to find everyone in the kitchen talking animatedly. Even Eda, much to her surprise.  _

_ “-And she is just so cute! It’s a shame we don’t have any classes together.” Emira was saying, her eyes bright as she spoke, though Amity had no idea what they were talking about.  _

_ Luz was rummaging through the cabinets for something to eat while Edric and Eda listened to Emira talk. Edric rolled his eyes before munching on something in his hand that Amity couldn’t recognize. Eda looked amused and almost… fond? The look confused Amity. She didn’t think the owl lady knew her siblings very well. However, there was the time they were captured by the slither beast, so maybe they knew each other better than she thought.  _

_ “What are you guys talking about?” Amity asked, making herself known.  _

_ “Hey there, kiddo, welcome to the party. Your sister here is just telling me about this prankster she finds cute… Vinnie, was it?” Eda asked, raising an eyebrow as she took a sip out of her ‘30 and flirty’ mug.  _

_ “Viney.”  _

_ “I know Viney!” Luz said, turning from the cabinets with a grin, “Her friends helped me out when I stumbled into their room of shortcuts. She’s really nice! Her and her friends practically worship Eda.”  _

_ “Me?”  _

_ “Well, they call you ‘Lord Calamity’ but yeah. You’re the ultimate Hexside prankster.”  _

_ “Well, then. Finally, someone appreciates my work. It’s what I deserve.” Eda said haughtily, grinning widely.  _

_ Amity was surprised. She’d known that her sister liked girls in addition to boys, but she’d never actually been interested in anyone. Nobody in the Owl House seemed to bat an eyelash either, though she wasn’t sure anyone who lived here was entirely straight anyway. She felt a warmth settle in her chest due to the supportive atmosphere.  _

_ “I don’t really know Viney, but maybe you should talk to her,” Amity suggested, looking around for a chair she could pull up to the table, “She does seem really nice.”  _

_ “Here, kid, I’ll hop up on the counter.” Eda gave Amity a smile before abandoning the chair and doing just as she said she would.  _

_ “You really think so?” Emira asked.  _

_ Amity sat down across from her sister and it was then that she noticed how uncharacteristically vulnerable she looked. The seriousness of it was offset by her hair, but it was still present. It shocked her. Emira had never been so serious about anyone before.  _

_ “I do. I think it would be great.” She agreed.  _

_ “Me too! Maybe then I can pass my best pranks on to someone, since this one is such a goody-Luz shoes.” Eda piped up, ruffling Luz’s hair with a smirk.  _

_ “You guys are weird.” Edric muttered.  _

_ It didn’t take a lot to notice that something was bothering him. Though nobody could tell if it was the hair dilemma or the current conversation. He wasn’t likely to tell anyone. Instead, his gaze was focused on whatever he was eating. It was a very peculiar looking stick of meat with an odd odor. Amity could just barely make out the ‘Slim Tim’ label.  _

_ “Someone please tell me Ed isn’t eating humans.” _

_ “Of course not! It’s some kind of human snack. What’s it called again, Luz?”  _

_ “Beef jerky.” Luz said, mixing up what looked to be pudding.  _

_ “Yeah, that.” Eda said with a wave, sticking her empty mug in the sink and clapping her hands together, “Alright, let’s get you four back to normal. Kid, where did you set that bottle?”  _

_ Without looking up from the food she was making, Luz handed her a bright green shampoo bottle. Eda grabbed it, glancing down at it, before wincing.  _

_ That couldn’t be good. _

_ “Eda?” Amity asked, looking nervous.  _

_ “Well, I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”  _

_ The children all looked at each other with wide, worried eyes. Even Luz, who was happy to go with the flow, looked concerned. Each held up either a thumbs up or thumbs down. It was all thumbs down, except for Emira. Bad news first.  _

_ “These are the bottles I put all of my expired potions in. Which means that I have no idea what was in this or how to change your hair back…” Eda said, watching all of their faces fall or go pale, “But on the bright side, you guys will be the stars of the yearbook! Nobody can top this look!”  _

_ Edric and Emira looked stunned, Amity looked like she was going to be sick, and Luz looked like she was going to cry at any moment. Eda winced at the scene. She really needed a better system with all of these kids being in her house. It hadn’t been intentional, but she seemed to acquire kids by the boatload. And they were so busy, she never had the time to go through anything. They were teenagers, so they were supposed to be more responsible, but mishaps happen. Like this one.  _

_ All of the kids were in varying levels of distress, but Luz looked like she was closest to hysterics. It worried her, since it was out of character for the girl. Luz took problems in stride, moving past them without a second thought. That didn’t seem to be the case this time.  _

_ “Hey, kiddo, don’t look so down in the dumps. Who else can say they got into the Hexside yearbook with multicolored hair?” She asked, moving over to her and placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder.  _

_ “I’m going to look like an idiot,” Luz said miserably, tears running down her face now, “I was already the weird kid at my old school and now it’s going to be the same here. I-I don’t want to be the weird kid anymore.”  _

_ Eda felt stunned for a moment. She expected maybe some embarrassment, not something so serious. She felt at a loss for words. Instead, she opened her arms to the girl. Luz took the opportunity for a hug without hesitation, burying her face in Eda’s shirt.  _

_ “In the human world, you didn’t have many friends, right?” She asked, feeling Luz nod. With a little bit of difficulty, the next words started to spill from her mouth, “Here you do. You have me, King, Amity and her siblings, not to mention Gus and Willow - Who need to visit, by the way, they haven’t been here in a minute - Anyway, you have a lot of people here who love you. Being a little bit weird isn’t going to make any of us leave or stop caring about you. I’ll call Lily, maybe she’ll know what to do here, okay? But if we can’t get this fixed, it won’t change that you’re our human.”  _

_ The owl lady could feel the tears soaking into her favorite sweater, but she found that she didn’t mind too much. All she cared about was making Luz happy again. She knew that the kid had a lot of self-esteem issues that she covered up well. That was something they’d have to talk about later. Seeing her kid in this kind of distress made her determined to solve this issue.  _

_ “Alright, kids, this is an all-hands on deck mission. Leafy green one, I need you to go into the main room and grab the big pot sitting next to the couch. Minty fresh, grab your scroll and call Lilith, tell her to get her lazy butt over here. Luz, I need you to wake King up, we might need his help. Leafy green two, you’re great where you are. Work on finishing your beef gerky or whatever it is. Now… Go!” Eda clapped her hands together, the kids scattering out of the room. All except Edric.  _

_ “Why didn’t you give me a task?” He asked, looking confused.  _

_ “Cause I want to talk to you, kid.”  _

_ Eda sat herself back down across from the boy, who looked nervous. She could tell that he wasn’t used to getting anyone’s undivided attention. He squirmed anxiously under her gaze, his own eyes darting between her and his nearly-finished snack.  _

_ “Look, I’m going to tell you what I told Luz and your sisters. I’m not going to force anything out of you, but I can tell something is up, and I’m willing to listen. Just don’t go all mushy on me - That’s gross. So how ‘bout it? Let the wondrous Owl Lady solve your problems.”  _

_ Of all the things he’d been expecting, none of them had even compared to this. He’d interacted with the owl lady a handful of times, but he was finally seeing what everyone else was saying about her. She was a mischievous witch with a good heart. It felt weird, but nice, to have someone ask after him like this. He couldn’t remember anyone doing that before. And in that way young people do, he just wanted someone to listen to him, making opening up a lot quicker than Eda expected.  _

_ “It... makes me sad when Em talks about romance stuff. I know that if she gets involved with someone I’ll be happy for her, but then it’ll be just me. I don’t have friends and romantic interests like her. I’ll be… alone. I don’t want that.” He admitted, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.  _

_ “Whether she goes out with anyone or not, at the end of the day she’s still going to be your best friend.”  _

_ “But I won’t be  _ **_her_ ** _ best friend anymore.”  _

_ “Kid, I think you sell your sister short. She loves you. Yeah, romance and new friends come around, but sisters… sisters are a forever thing,” Eda paused, making the boy wonder if they were still talking about him, “But at the end of the day, you can’t rely on someone else for your happiness. That comes from you. What makes you happy?”  _

_ “Hanging out with Em.” Edric answered easily. Eda groaned, rubbing a hand over her face out of frustration.  _

_ “You’re killing me here. I mean something that you do for you. An activity that you don’t share with Emira.”  _

_ “Um, well, I like to draw sometimes - and then I put random people I see into these long comic strips. I... also like to find rocks and extract the gems inside of them. Sometimes I even use old materials and set the gems into them to make jewelry. I gave some to Em and Mittens for their birthdays, but they don’t know that I made them.”  _

_ The owl lady felt a smirk tugging at her mouth. Ever since Luz came around and brought all of her friends, seeing the kids happy made her go all gooey. She was definitely going soft. And seeing Edric talk about the things that made him happy was no exception. She’d been worried about the twins when Luz first brought them around, but they’d proved themselves to be good kids. Not that she’d tell them that.  _

_ “You should talk to Luz about those comic strips of yours, she’d love ‘em. And I know King would kill for one of your shiny pieces of jewelry. If those make you happy, why don’t you do them more?” Eda asked.  _

_ “They’re not productive to my studies.”  _

_ The tone of voice Edric used made her wonder if those were his words or the words someone else had said to him too many times. She knew the experience well. With the way his demeanor had brightened talking about his hobbies, she knew he couldn’t care how productive they were.  _

_ “Some of the best things aren’t productive to your studies. School is all mindless obedience and busy work anyway, experience is the real teacher.” Eda said, barely stopping herself from launching into a full on rant about the school system and its flaws. That wasn’t the point.  _

_ “I wish my parents thought the way you do.” The boy muttered.  _

_ “Let me guess, your parents want you to be the perfect student and put a spotlight on the family?”  _

_ He looked stunned, but nodded. They’d been that way for as long as he remembered, but it had gotten gradually more intense since Amity left the manor. It had set something off in his parents. Where they’d been laid back before, now they hovered over their shoulders, snapping at the slightest imperfection. They weren’t allowed to leave the table until all of their work had been completed perfectly in the way their parents wanted. Both twins had become used to constant exhaustion. This sleepover was the first time he remembered getting a full night's sleep in weeks.  _

_ “I had a similar upbringing, I know how difficult it is. But one day they won’t be here and you’ll have lived a whole life to make them happy. It isn’t worth it.” Eda said softly.  _

_ “They-They just want what is best for me.” Edric snapped, suddenly defensive.  _

_ It shut the conversation down immediately. Eda looked surprised at the change, but tried to hide it. She remembered what it was like. To slowly resent your family, but want to protect them at the same time. Letting your love for them outweigh the damage they’d inflicted because you felt guilty thinking ill of them. She let it go. Arguing wouldn’t do either of them any good.  _

_ “Whatever you believe is best, kiddo.”  _

_ After Eda sent them off to fulfill their tasks, Amity had moved back up the stairs to call her guardian. She hoped that the woman would know how to fix the situation and wouldn’t be too frustrated. Lilith was more calm about little things than the rest of them, but this was a big deal. They’d been preparing for these photos for weeks.  _

_ Grabbing her scroll, Amity noticed there was a little message from Lilith she’d missed earlier. Without reading it, it made her giggle. At the end of the message there was a demoji sun blowing a kiss. It was peculiar looking, but she loved it. After Amity had introduced her to them, Lilith had taken to demojis, though sometimes she’d send ones that made no sense; Like a skull with a message about picking her up or a painbow when Lilith made sure she had taken a jacket. It was definitely a learning process.  _

**_Lilith <3: Good Morning, dearest. I’ll be there at noon to pick you up. Feel free to call if you need anything. _ **

_ She contemplated sending a text back about the situation, but knew it’d take the witch too long to see it. Pressing the face-call button under the witch’s contact, she held the scroll so her face was visible. It took about three rings before it connected.  _

_ “Hello?” Lilith’s voice came through the scroll, followed by some shuffling as the older witch’s forehead became visible. “Am I doing this correctly?” _

_ “Um, I can see your forehead, so you just need to adjust it a little.” Amity replied, trying to keep the amusement from her voice.  _

_ Lilith had used a scroll before Amity was in her care, but it had been for work purposes. It would stay closed on her desk or a table nearby in case she was needed. Then Amity came around. The girl helped her understand that a scroll could be fun too; downloading a few games for her and teaching her how to play them. She found that she was particularly good at Candy Smash. It sparked a slight obsession with beating the game though, not that Lilith would ever admit it.  _

_ She’d become much more savvy with her scroll since then. Customizing it had been her favorite part and she had proudly shown it off for weeks after. Her resting screen was a picture of her and Amity on the girl’s 14th birthday. In a sudden display of bravery that day, Amity had taken a bit of bright blue icing and wiped it on the woman’s face. Lilith had responded in kind. A patch of icing had been smeared on the girl’s cheek in retaliation. The picture was taken right after Lilith’s move, the both of them laughing, looking at each other with a playful warmth.  _

_ But for all the progress she made, she still fumbled when it came to using the face-call. She was never sure where to look or how visible she would be. Her preference was a regular voice call, but used the face-call when it came to Amity. The younger witch hated the voice calls. She couldn’t decipher someone’s mood without looking at their expressions and it made her anxious. To stave off any worry, they avoided the voice only option.  _

_ “Damn,” She heard Lilith mutter. Then the view moved again and she could fully see her guardian, “How about now?”  _

_ “Much better. Good morning!”  _

_ “Good morning, dear. Is everything alright? I wasn’t expecting you to call.”  _

_ “Everything is fine, but we have a… situation over here. Eda told me to call and ask for your help.” Amity admitted.  _

_ “What kind of situation? Nobody is hurt, are they?” Lilith asked worriedly.  _

_ Despite being on a face-call, Amity had kept her face precariously close to the scroll in her hand. Meaning that Lilith had no idea what was going with her hair. It was completely out of view. _

_ “Nobody is hurt! Everyone is okay! It’s, well, it might just be easier to show you when you get here.”  _

_ “You can’t show me now?” Lilith asked, raising an eyebrow. A suspicious look settled on her features.  _

_ “Nope!” _

_ “I’ll... be there in a few minutes, then. Tell Edalyn to stay near the door, I’d like to minimize all contact with that infernal house demon.”  _

_ “I will. Fly safe, please,” Amity said, giving her a smile. _

_ “Of course. See you soon.”  _

_ Amity gave her guardian a smile, blowing her a kiss as a goodbye. Lilith blew a kiss back. Then the call ended. Rolling up her scroll and throwing it back into the bag, she realized that she was still smiling. Despite living with the woman for some time, expressions of affection never made her any less giddy. She realized often how good Lilith was to her. Taking her in, looking after her, creating systems to make her more comfortable. It was something not many people seemed to have and she couldn’t help but feel extremely lucky.  _

_ Moving back down to the kitchen, she paused when she saw Emira trying to drag a large pot across the living room. She had both hands around one of the handles, pulling as hard as she could. It didn’t budge.  _

_ “Em?”  _

_ “Oh, mittens! Can you help me with this? I can’t get it to move at all!”  _

_ Amity walked over to her sister, who was now bent over, hands resting on her knees. With a completely serious expression, the younger witch lifted the lid off of the pot. A concrete-like creature with one eye looked up at them.  _

_ “Hi there, sorry to bother you, but we need this pot for a little while. Would you mind?” Amity asked kindly.  _

_ “Yeah, no worries.” The creature said in a deep, rumbling voice, before standing up on one thin leg and hopping out of the pot. It turned and left the room without blinking at them. Putting the lid back on, Amity picked up the pot easily, handing it to a wide-eyed Emira with a smirk.  _

_ “Here you go.”  _

_ “You suck.” Her sister whined, before walking into the kitchen. Amity followed.  _

_ The first thing they noticed was King laying in the middle of the kitchen table. The second thing was Eda, who was standing over the kitchen sink. Edric was scrolling through penstagram, looking unbothered by the situation. The sisters shared a look.  _

_ “What happened here?” Emira asked first.  _

_ “Eda tried to figure out the potions in the bottle - by smell.” Edric responded, snickering. _

_ “So gross,” The witch groaned over the sink, “ _ **_So_ ** _ rotten.”  _

_ “Where’s Luz?”  _

_ “Eda sent her for nose-plugs.”  _

_ “Okay then. Lilith said to stay close to the door so she can avoid Hooty.” Amity said, taking her previous seat across from her brother.  _

_ “Hmm… nah. She can suffer a little bit, it’s funnier that way.”  _

_ Eda wiped her mouth on a towel next to the sink. Leaning against it, she held out a hand, taking the pot she’d asked for. She went about grabbing a few things from cabinets around the kitchen. Still reeling from the rotten potions she’d smelled, she moved slowly. By the time she had everything she wanted, there was frantic knocking on the front door.  _

_ “It’s Lilith, I’ll get i-” Amity said, standing up. Eda stopped her.  _

_ “I’ve got it. I’m already up.”  _

_ With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she grabbed the shampoo bottle before answering the front door. She was met with the irritated glare of her sister. Hooty was prattling on about something in his typical shrill tone. She could swear that Lilith was twitching, trying to hold in all of her emotions.  _

_ “Hey, Lily, come on in.”  _

_ She stepped aside to let the other witch in, closing the door on Hooty. Lilith let out an irritated breath once the door was closed. The glare hadn’t left her face.  _

_ “You made me stand out there on purpose.” She accused.  _

_ “Maybe so. It’s funny. Hey, smell this for me, would ya?”  _

_ Eda didn’t give any warning before shoving the shampoo bottle under Lilith’s nose. The other witch was mid-inhale, catching an intense whiff of the potions. Her face went green and she gagged. Lilith shoved Eda away from her quickly, covering her mouth and trying to breathe in some fresh air to keep herself from expelling breakfast.  _

_ “Edalyn,” Lilith choked out, “What the hell is that?”  _

_ “The source of our little dilemma.”  _

_ “What dilemma?”  _

_ As if summoned by some imaginary bell, Amity and Luz walked out of the kitchen. Lilith, who was still recovering from the nasty prank Eda had pulled, froze. Her eyes were wide. Then she looked from the children to her sister, the frustration from earlier returning in full force.  _

_ “Edalyn, what did you do to their hair!?” Lilith fumed, glaring at the woman.  _

_ Before the witch could respond, Lilith had moved to the girls, fussing over their hair. Lilith ran her hand through Luz’s first, then Amity’s. She noted the textural differences despite the colors being the same. After a moment, she drew a blue spell-circle. Both girl’s felt a tingling sensation as their hair glowed with Lilith’s magic, momentarily going back to normal, only for the altered parts to seep back through.  _

_ “Explain. Now.” The woman growled at her sister.  _

_ “Before I do, you should probably know they aren’t the only ones in this situation…” Eda said, gesturing to Edric and Emira who’d come to see what was happening.  _

_ Lilith let out a deep sigh, her hands massaging her temples. Everyone remained silent, giving her time to process.  _

_ “All of you are going to make me go grey prematurely. I need to sit down and then I expect this whole situation to be explained to me.”  _

_ Everyone nodded, moving back into the kitchen. Eda, Luz, and Emira perched themselves on the countertop, leaving the three chairs around the table for Lilith, Amity, and Edric. King was still passed out in the middle of the table. It didn’t take long for them to explain the situation, much to Lilith’s relief.  _

_ “There are a few avenues we could pursue,” Lilith started, “We can attempt to separate all of the potions using a mass counter-potion and then wash all of them out of your hair. Or, we can attempt to use a hair alteration potion. If it doesn’t work, though, it might make the situation worse.”  _

_ “Hair alteration potion?” Luz asked, looking between all of them.  _

_ “You mix up a base potion and then add certain ingredients to get a specific color and texture.” Eda supplied.  _

_ “Oh, so magical hair dye, basically.”  _

_ “Hair  _ **_what_ ** _?” Lilith asked, startled.  _

_ “Your hair is a separate, living being? That you kill?” Amity asked additionally.  _

_ “No! Hair dye is basically a potion to give you a specific hair color. You have to do something else to mess with texture though.”  _

_ “Wild.” Eda commented, looking interested.  _

_ Luz taught Eda more about the human world with each passing day. A lot of it happened to be information that was relayed in passing. Like what a train was, or how the 50 richest people in the human world were slowly killing the environment. It was always interesting to her.  _

_ “I vote for the hair potion.” Edric piped up, making everyone look at him, then at each other.  _

_ “Alright, we’ll put it to a vote. All of those who want the counter-potion?”  _

_ Again, the only person of the four to raise their hand, was Emira. She looked at the rest of them and rolled her eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh.  _

_ “If we don’t know what potions are in our hair and we try an alteration potion, we could make this situation worse!” Emira said. _

_ “Yes, but it takes too long to separate all of them. If we spend all day trying to do that and it fails, then we’re in a lot of trouble!” Edric countered. _

_ “I’m sorry, Emira, as much as I would like to do the same - the vote is against it.” Lilith sighed. _

_ The differences between raising children and being a politician were something that never failed to frustrate her. In the Emperor’s castle, her word was practically law. Anything she wanted - she got. Unless it went against the Emperor’s will. But here in the Owl House, or her own home, it couldn’t be more different. She couldn’t dictate everything based on her own will. Instead, she put it to the children to decide. And unless it posed a serious threat, she would support the decision that had been voted on.  _

_ Unclasping her cloak and hanging it up, she rolled up the sleeves of her dress. It wouldn’t do to get any potion on it. It was her favorite; made from the finest silks in the Boiling Isles. The dress was an emerald color, strikingly different from her normal black or blue. It’d been a gift for her birthday.  _

_ Amity had talked her siblings and the members of the Owl House into putting some snails down for it. It was an extravagant gift, but with everyone pitching in, it’d been a breeze. They had all been proud to present it to her for her birthday. And the gesture had made her tear up, though she still denied it vehemently.  _

_ “Alright, Edalyn, we need the natural colorants. We also need willow root for longevity. Do you have anything labeled in this house?” Lilith asked, opening the cabinets in an attempt to find whatever colorants she was looking for.  _

_ “I don’t need to label anything. We have a system.”  _

_ “The same system where you put rotten potions in a shampoo bottle underneath the bathroom sink?”  _

_ “...Shut up, Lily.” Eda grumbled, pulling out glass jars and vials from random places. One jar even came out of a hole in the wall.  _

_ “Do you have enough willow root? We need two roots per head.” Lilith instructed, beginning to empty some of the jars into the large pot on the counter.  _

_ “I’ve got ‘em. Don’t get your prissy pants in a wad.”  _

_ “How are you so good at this?” Luz asked curiously, watching the witches work, “You’re not even looking at a recipe.”  _

_ “This is not the first time I’ve dealt with a magical hair disaster…” Lilith smirked, locking eyes with a blushing Amity.  _

One of Lilith’s favorite things about her apprentice was her willingness to succeed. If she didn’t understand, she’d do anything she could to change it. But one lesson that she’d forgotten to pass on was that sometimes, ambition had consequences. 

Despite having been in the potions track at Hexside, she wasn’t the best at it. Try as she may to perfect each and every one of her potions, they always lacked something. So she probably should’ve been the last qualified person to teach Amity potions. And yet, here they were. They’d set up a large cauldron in the backyard - One reason had been that it was a nice day, another was that it was easier to clean a ruined potion out of the grass then the furniture. 

Amity was looking over the ingredients list from her potions textbook, double checking that she had everything she needed. Lilith had moved briefly into the house to grab them a glass of water. The Boiling Isles heat was no joke. And while it felt nice to be outside, the heat could overtake you at any moment if you didn’t hydrate properly. 

Today’s task was a basic abomination tonic. It was the essence that gave the abominations life. After looking it over for the fourth time, she knew that she had everything she needed. Lactite powder? Check. Arrowroot grain? Check. Half of a demonic soul? Also check. Combined, the ingredients would create a basic essence. The word ‘basic’ stood out to Amity, bothering her slightly. 

_ I should be able to do better than a basic essence.  _

Double checking that her mentor was still in the house, she flipped through the potion textbook to a later chapter. It was the second to last chapter in the book, containing more advanced mixtures and essences. Rifling through the pages, she found what she’d been looking for; ‘Complex Abomination Tonic.’ 

Scanning the page, her eyebrows raised. All that was required to advance the potion was one ingredient; red sagebrush root. It was a common ingredient used in teas to enhance knowledge retention and intelligence. Adding it would give the abomination more complex movements and commands. Essentially making the creature more intelligent in the only possible way. 

_ It’s pretty common. I should be able to find some around here.  _

Amity’s gaze scanned the edge of Lilith’s property, where she allowed some of the wild plants to encroach. Red sagebrush had a distinct purple stem, with red veins covering the bell-shaped thorns. It would be distinct against the common yellow of most wild plants. And it was. Her eyes caught one of the stems, sticking out from behind a withering bush. 

Quickly, she moved over to the plant, grasping between the thorns and pulled up. She effectively uprooted the plant in one movement. With a small pair of cutters, she snipped off the roots, returning to the cauldron with them. Easy enough. 

What she failed to realize, however, was the sickly yellow veins growing on the underside of the thorns. Veins that indicated the plant she had was  _ not  _ red sagebrush. 

She took the plant back to the table, quickly removing the roots and discarding the rest of the plant somewhere out of sight, before adding the roots to the potion. Just in time too, as Lilith was coming out of the house with two glasses of water and a tray of snacks. The snacks were for after the potion was complete. Lilith refused to risk mixing the two, constantly worried that one of them would ingest a potion on accident.

“Have you added everything?” Lilith inquired, looking down at the essence while handing her the glass of water. 

“Yup! I was just waiting on you to mix it, since there is a technique.” Amity replied. She felt giddy at the idea that her essence would take shape in a way that was even more impressive than Lilith would expect. 

“Of course. Stir it clockwise three times, then counterclockwise three times. Abomination magic is partial to odd numbers.” 

Amity nodded, grasping the tool to stir it tightly. One, two, three times clockwise. Then one, two, three times counterclockwise. She looked up to Lilith, looking for approval. Her heart stopped when she saw the frown on Lilith’s face. 

She watched as the woman’s eyebrows furrowed, looking between the cauldron and the potion book. Picking up a spoon, she dipped it into the mixture, pulling it out quickly. It released from around the spoon with a squelch. The  _ splat  _ it made after releasing from the utensil made her wince. That couldn’t be right. 

“You didn’t put anything additional in this, did you?” Lilith asked, frown still in place, though much less severe. 

Amity looked down at her shoes, discreetly eyeing the plant stems from earlier. She didn’t understand why it hadn’t worked. All that she’d needed was the red sagebrush root. The potion should have blown her mentor away, not… this. 

“Amity.” 

“I just wanted to make it more impressive.” Amity muttered, kicking at a few of the rocks in the grass. 

“Excuse me? I can’t hear you when you mutter.” 

“I just wanted to make it more impressive.” She repeated, louder this time. As she met the eyes of her mentor, she saw the worried, but curious expression on the woman’s face. 

“Amity, I need you to tell me what you put in this potion, quickly.” The older witch instructed. There was no room for argument. 

“I added red sagebrush root so it would be more complex.”

Reaching under the table, she pulled out the stem of the plant. Lilith’s frown deepened as she looked at it. Taking it into her own hands, the witch looked down, seeing the sickly yellow veins that Amity hadn’t. Her eyes went comically wide. 

“This isn’t red sagebrush, this is sickle brush!” 

Lilith’s tone was a bit frantic, for reasons Amity couldn’t decipher. Throwing the stem aside, she went to cover the cauldron, when it began to shake. Moments later the source of the shaking revealed itself. A sickly yellow demon perched itself on the rim of the cauldron, grinning at them with sharp teeth. Her mentor went to draw a spell circle, to trap the demon, but it pounced on her. 

The woman let out a shriek that Amity would have found funny, if the situation wasn’t so startling. The yellow demon clawed at her scalp and pulled at her hair. As it remained in contact with her, Lilith’s hair began to turn the same bright yellow of the demon’s body. The color spread from the roots to half the length of her hair before she sealed the demon in a bubble. 

“Uh…” Amity started, not sure how to tell her mentor what had happened. 

Lilith was disheveled, the yellow that’d become part of her hair made her skin look sallow. She was attempting to catch her breath when she noticed Amity staring at her with wide eyes. 

“What is it?” 

Amity slowly pointed to her own hair, not having the courage to speak. Part of her wanted to laugh, loudly. The other part was forced to recognize that this was  _ her fault.  _ If she’d stuck to the potion and hadn’t been over-ambitious they wouldn’t be in this situation. 

Lilith conjured up a mirror, holding it up so that she could see herself. She froze. A hand came up to touch her now  _ bright yellow  _ strands. She found herself blinking aggressively, rubbing her eyes in hopes that it was all a vision. But her hair remained the same. 

Against every expectation Amity had, she watched as Lilith bent over, shaking with laughter. Eventually, she couldn’t hold the sound in. She stood there laughing with everything she had. Amity felt stunned, before laughing as well. Tension faded from her shoulders. 

“Oh my  _ Titan,  _ I don’t think yellow is my color.” Lilith said with a chuckle, wiping the tears from her eyes. 

She looked to her apprentice, her gaze conflicted. If it had been anyone else, Lilith is sure she wouldn’t have found it so funny. But she knew there was no harm meant. Amity had simply meant to impress her, failing to take similar looking plants into account. Her ambition had run away with her. It was harmless - this time. 

“There is nothing wrong with wanting to do well or impress, dearest, but you should always examine all sides of a decision before making it,” Lilith said softly, placing a hand on Amity’s shoulder, “You didn’t examine all of the risks before adding what you thought was red sagebrush. As you age, the consequences of those actions won’t be so tame. I’m not angry with you. It’s my fault for not having this conversation earlier. But I need you to hear me when I say that you can’t act on blind ambition, does that make sense?” 

Amity nodded, looking thoroughly chastised. 

“I’m sorry, I just wanted you to see me as more than a… beginner. I can do better than the basics.” 

“Being a beginner is nothing to be ashamed of. We all start at the bottom. And an understanding of the basics is what separates a great witch from a mediocre one. It is one thing to do big displays of magic, but without the basics, that is all they are - displays. The great witches rely on the basics to bend magic to their will,” The older witch started, barely stopping herself from launching into a full on rant, “I’m not trying to make you feel like you’re a witchling - I’m trying to make you into the best witch you can be. And becoming that witch means respecting the blocks that magic is built on.” 

She knew she should take a lesson away from the conversation, but all Amity could focus on was the idea that her mentor believed she could become a great witch. That one day, Amity could be and feel as powerful as she knew Lilith was. She felt giddy. Though she tried to tone it down, so that she could take in what her mentor was saying. 

“I think I understand,” Amity admitted after a few minutes, “I’m sorry about your hair.” 

“Don’t be. You can help me brew the counter-potion.” 

Amity nodded, warily eyeing the demon that was still encased in Lilith’s bubble. Noticing her gaze, it hissed. The action made her flinch slightly. 

“What do we do about… that?” She asked, looking at the demon.

“When we brew the counter-potion, we’ll reserve half of it for them.”

“What does it do to them?”

“It typically reduces them to mush. Something that I will have no issue with, after the havoc they’ve wrought on my hair.” Lilith admitted, a devious smirk on her face. 

Normally, the thought of that happening to a living creature would make her feel ill. But she knew well enough to understand now that this demon wasn’t really living. It was merely given the range of motor-skills and reactions that would have been given to the intended abomination. It had no feelings, so the counter-potion wouldn’t hurt it. Making sure the demon was secured and in sight, they began gathering the ingredients to brew their next potion. 

_ “Mittens, you really turned her hair yellow?” Emira asked, looking surprised.  _

_ “Technically it was the demon that did it.” Amity responded. A faint blush was covering her cheeks out of embarrassment.  _

_ “Yeah, the demon that you created.” Edric laughed.  _

_ The two twins shared wide smiles, bursting into laughter at the thought of Lilith with bright yellow hair. An affliction that had been caused by their sister, no less. Amity was about as close to perfect as a witch in training could get, so it made them feel better to know that she slipped up too.  _

_ “Alright, you two, leave your sister be,” Lilith interjected, a small smile on her features, “It was only one time. Edalyn was much worse.”  _

_ “I was not!”  _

_ “Oh? What about the time my hair shimmered like a disco ball for a week?” The oldest witch asked, placing her hands on her hips as she looked to her sister.  _

_ “That was glitter, Lily.” _

_ “ _ **_Magic_ ** _ glitter!”  _

_ The four kids watched the exchange with interested grins. Being in the Owl House was entertaining enough, but the most interesting exchanges always seemed to be between the Clawthorne sisters. Their stories were always unparalleled. While two of the children watched their guardians with amusement, the other two couldn’t help but wonder what living in the Owl House was like full time.  _

_ “Don’t be a baby, you were fine.” Eda scoffed from her place on the kitchen counter.  _

_ “Fine? If you call scarred for life ‘fine,’ then sure!”  _

_ “Oh come on, Lily, what about that scarred you? So you had funky hair for a week. Big deal!”  _

_ “I’ll have you know that I had something very important that week and your little prank ruined it!” Lilith huffed, crossing her arms over her chest with a glare.  _

_ “Something important like asking Irina out?” Eda teased, watching as her sister’s ears began to turn red, “News flash, dummy, she would have said yes either way. But you were too chicken.”  _

_ Edric and Emira raised their eyebrows at this. Amity and Luz were unphased at the mention of Lilith’s long-standing crush - even though the witch was their teacher. Eda made it no secret how her sister had fumbled her way around when it came to romance. They’d seen it enough in action to believe it. Edric was interested for the gossip of it all, but Emira was pleased to find another person like her. Maybe Luz’s joke about ‘the gays sticking together’ wasn’t so unbelieveable after all.  _

_ “That’s enough, Edalyn.” Lilith growled.  _

_ “Alright, alright. Whatever you say.”  _

_ Both women rolled their eyes, before focusing back on their task. Every now and again they would send the children to find ingredients in certain parts of the house. Eda would give purposefully vague instructions, hoping that the task would keep them from worrying too much about their hair. It was a big deal for them, meaning she’d do whatever she had to to fix the situation. But that didn’t mean the kids should stew in their anxieties while she tried.  _

_ Unsurprisingly, King hadn’t been any help. He was still laying in the middle of the kitchen table, oblivious to the chaos happening around him. None of them had the heart to fully wake him. Especially not Lilith, who was a not-so-secret softie when it came to the demon. Though Eda didn’t understand it at all, the two seemed to have an understanding. She wasn’t going to mess with that.  _

_ “So, who wants to go first?” Eda asked, clapping her hands together with a grin.  _

_ They all looked at one another, none of them wanting to take the first spot. Eventually, Luz sighed, stepping forward.  _

_ “I’ll go first.” She said with a hesitant smile.  _

_ “That’s really convenient, since I mixed your color first. Take a seat, kiddo.”  _

_ As Luz plopped herself down into the wooden kitchen chair, Eda draped an old towel over her with a flourish. She’d even propped up a mirror against the wall. It worried her that it looked to be secured with duct tape, but she ignored it. The smile on her mentor’s face put her a little more at ease.  _

_ “Alright. Edric, Emira, which of you would like to go first? I haven’t mixed Amity’s color yet.” Lilith said, looking to the Blight children.  _

_ There seemed to be a silent conversation between the twins, before Emira plopped herself down in the chair. Edric and Amity perched themselves on the countertops, leaning against the cabinets while they watched the scenario unfold.  _

_ Lilith had also covered Emira in a towel, not wanting to ruin any of her clothing with the alteration potion. The girl settled in as comfortably as she could before closing her eyes and letting the older witch get to work. Edric watched the two witches work with a bit of fascination in his eyes, while Amity closed her eyes, leaning her head back against one of the cabinet doors.  _

_ The room descended into comfortable silence. Other than the occasional sounds of the potion and some humming, they all just enjoyed the quiet. It was nice. Amity realized how unusual it was to have this kind of silence in the Owl House. They were known for anything but that, not that she minded. She liked the chaos sometimes. After a while there was a shuffling to her left, before she felt something settle into her lap. She didn’t have to open her eyes to know that it was King. Contentedly, she ran her fingers through the demon’s fur.  _

_ “How does it look, my dear?” Lilith’s voice broke the silence first, addressing Emira.  _

_ Amity opened her eyes and felt relief flood her. Emira’s hair was back to normal, not to mention Lilith had matched the shade perfectly. She hadn’t wanted her siblings to get in trouble. Now she knew that they wouldn’t.  _

_ “It looks perfect!” Emira said in awe, feeling it and turning in every direction she could to look at it. Extremely relieved that she wouldn’t be on the receiving end of her parents’ wrath, she hugged the older witch happily, “Thanks, Lilith!”  _

_ The affection startled the witch. By the time she’d been prepared to return the hug, Emira had pulled away, making faces at herself in the mirror. Lilith rolled her eyes fondly. Then with a kind glance, she beckoned Edric over to fix his hair.  _

_ Before they could lapse into another comfortable silence, Eda proudly declared that she was finished. They all watched as Luz excitedly opened her eyes, but her mentor was standing between her and the mirror.  _

_ “Kiddo, I may have given you a little something extra. If you don’t like it, I’ll fix it for you, but you said something about it. Don’t hesitate to tell me if you hate it, okay?” Eda said, her hands on the girl’s shoulders. Luz nodded excitedly.  _

_ When Eda moved out of the way, Luz let out a gasp. The witch had fixed her hair and had even given her an Azura-purple streak on one side. She let out a happy noise, launching herself at Eda.  _

_ “I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She squealed.  _

_ “No problem, kid, I’m glad you like it.” Eda said, affectionately ruffling the girl’s hair.  _

_ As Lilith was taking care of Edric, that meant Eda would be doing Amity’s hair. The girl had expected for Lilith to do it. She didn’t have anything against Eda, nothing at all, but she had assumed her own guardian would be the one to fix it. If she asked, she knew Lilith would do it. But it wasn’t a big deal. She trusted Eda not to mess it up.  _

_ “Hop in the chair, short stack.”  _

_ “I’m not that short, Eda.” Amity said with a scowl.  _

_ “Short enough!” The woman grinned, “So you want me to mix your usual green?”  _

_ Amity’s thoughts stopped. Nobody had ever offered her a choice before. Her mother had just declared one day that Amity should look like her siblings, taking her to the hairdresser, and that had been that. No fuss. No arguments. No choices. And now that she had a choice, she wasn’t sure what she wanted.  _

_ She was so used to the mint green color. Everyone else was used to it as well. That wasn’t a reason to keep it that way, though. She wasn’t going to make decisions based on making other people happy, Amity decided. That ended when she left Blight Manor.  _

_ “Um, could you do my natural color instead?” She asked softly, so only Eda would hear. Even though it was her decision, she was worried they’d say something that would fracture her already fragile confidence.  _

_ “Yeah, of course.”  _

_ Eda’s casual acceptance of the change startled her. Though, she was glad of it. This was something she wanted, but she knew if anyone tried to talk her out of it, she’d buckle. Making decisions for herself was still hard. She was working on it, which she was proud of. Sometimes there were setbacks, but she was slowly learning to accept that. It wasn’t always perfect. Neither was she. And that was okay.  _

_ The owl lady washed her hair before putting in the potion, but by then Amity’s eyes were closed out of pure bliss. She loved having someone mess with her hair, though it tickled when they accidentally touched her ears. Eda’s nails were scratching lightly at her scalp when she was working the potion into her hair and Amity was so happy she could have  _ **_purred._ ** _ Maybe she should change her hair more often if she got a head massage out of it.  _

_ Alteration potions were fast acting, which meant that you didn’t have to sit with it on your head for long periods of time. It took a few minutes of Eda working the potion into every possible strand of hair, washing it again, and done. Casting a drying spell, the bronzy-brown of Amity’s natural hair shone brilliantly in the light.  _

_ “Amity, you look great!” Luz gasped, a large smile on her face.  _

_ “Wow, Mittens, it really does suit you.” Emira added. Neither one of the twins could remember the last time that they’d seen Amity with her natural hair. They would miss looking alike, but they couldn’t deny that she looked great.  _

_ “Thanks,” Amity said, shyly looking at Lilith. Nobody’s opinion mattered more to her than Lilith’s did, “Do you like it?”  _

_ The older witch looked a bit startled that she’d asked, but didn’t hesitate to nod. She was happy to see the girl becoming more comfortable with the idea of being herself - authentically.  _

_ “I do. I think it is very becoming,” Lilith said warmly, “But how do  _ **_you_ ** _ feel about it?”  _

_ Amity turned, finally looking at herself in the mirror for the first time. Her real self. Not the one her mother had constructed. She’d expected to hate it, having been used to the mint color for so long. But in all honesty, she adored it. She couldn’t remember feeling so open, so confident.  _

_ “I love it,” The girl said genuinely. She let herself flap her hands, not caring at the moment if anyone thought it was weird. It was part of her being herself. If they didn’t like it, then they didn’t have to stick around, she reminded herself. Nobody seemed to care or mind, though her siblings looked a little surprise at how openly she reacted, “Thank you, Eda.” _

_ “No worries, kid. It looks really good on you.” Eda grinned, ruffling Amity’s hair fondly, “I’m glad to see someone appreciate my work.”  _

_ “I appreciate your work plenty!” Luz piped up indignantly.  _

_ “Don’t take it personally, Luz,” Lilith said, “Edalyn’s ego is larger than this house. It would take a million compliments to stroke it.” _

_ “It is not! You take that back, Lily.”  _

_ “No, shant.”  _

_ Eda stuck her tongue out at the witch, only for Lilith to do the same. When she was certain none of the children were paying attention, Eda subtly flipped Lilith off. That earned her a glare. But she wasn’t too bothered by it. Lilith was all bark and no bite… mostly.  _

_ After a few more minutes, Lilith had finished with Edric’s hair, and they were all back to normal. The adults both let out a sigh of relief. So many not-so-good things could have happened if they hadn’t fixed it. Though they would have laughed about it all later, it would have been a sore spot for a while. Neither of them wanted to deal with pouty teenagers anymore than they already did.  _

_ “I wish we had taken before and after pictures.” Luz said disappointedly.  _

_ “I’m sure Owlbert got a few of you all.” Eda said.  _

_ “Owlbert?”  _

_ “Oh, yeah. I had him take some pictures while you guys weren’t looking - so we could remember this. It’ll probably make good blackmail later.”  _

_ “Edalyn.” Lilith sighed, shaking her head.  _

_ Owlbert flew in, dropping a human camera into Eda’s hand and landing on her shoulder. She rewarded him with a few scratches. Everyone gathered around the digital screen of the camera, watching as Eda flipped through the pictures. Blurry. Blurry. Sideways. She stopped looking through as she found one that made her smile; Eda and Lilith were standing behind Luz and Emira, who were sitting down to have their hair fixed, while Edric and Amity relaxed in the background. King could only slightly be seen from the angle of the photo, but he was in it. It looked about as domestic as the Owl House could get.  _

_ “I want that printed.” Lilith said softly.  _

_ “Once I find a place that prints human photos, you got it.” Eda said with a smile, “We should definitely take that ‘after’ picture, since we have this one. Luz, any ideas?”  _

_ The girl gave her a big grin. While looking at the photo, Luz’s mind had been working a mile a minute. As per usual. And she had the perfect idea.  _

_ “This camera should have a timer, so we should recreate the other one - except we all look at the camera this time.” Luz explained proudly.  _

_ “You got it, kiddo.”  _

_ While Luz was setting up the camera, everyone tried to recreate their previous positions as best as they could, facing the camera this time. Lilith and Eda had to maneuver a bit so they weren’t blocking each other or the children, but they managed it somehow. Setting a seven-second timer, Luz jumped into the seat, smiling brightly at the camera.  _

_ CLICK! _

_ The camera let out the loud noise, letting them know that the picture had been taken. All of them crowded to see it. It was perfect. It was getting later in the day, so the lighting in the photo was stunning. They all smiled approvingly.  _

_ “I want that one printed too, Edalyn.”  _

_ “I know, Lily.”  _

_ Lilith let out an exasperated noise, before looking at the time. Knowing the children had school tomorrow, it was the perfect time for everyone to head out.  _

_ “Edric, Emira, I’ll take you home. Is that spot around the corner still acceptable?” Lilith asked, raising an eyebrow. They both nodded. Amity ran up the stairs to collect her things before coming back down. Everyone said their goodbyes with smiles.  _

_ “Good luck with picture day tomorrow, you rascals,” Eda said from the doorway with a smile, “Ed, remember what we talked about, alright?”  _

_ Edric nodded slowly, recalling the conversation from earlier. He felt bad about snapping at Eda now, but didn’t want to apologize in front of everyone. So he made a mental note to apologize later. Amity, Emira, and Lilith shared confused glances but didn’t say anything. Ed’s business was Ed’s business unless he volunteered it.  _

_ “Do you two have the seat?” Lilith asked.  _

_ Edric dug through his backpack, before pulling out a foldable seat. It had been Luz’s idea. It was difficult to take all three of the children anywhere safely on the same staff, so Luz made a fabric swing seat that they could tie onto the middle of the staff while flying. It would dangle underneath the staff during the flight, just low enough that nobody risked getting kicked in the head. The contraption had been a big hit. So big that the three would fight over who’s turn it was in the seat. After that, Lilith had put them on a rotation.  _

_ “Whose turn is it?”  _

_ “Em’s.” Edric and Amity answered sulkily.  _

_ “No pouting. We have the rotation so it’s fair for everyone.” Lilith said, giving the two a look.  _

_ Sitting on her staff, she secured Amity in front of her and Edric behind her. Then they triple tied the swing on and levitated slightly off of the ground so Emira could sit in it. She did so with a gleeful grin, making Amity glare at her.  _

_ “Amity,” Lilith warned, before looking down at Emira, “All secured?”  _

_ “Yup!”  _

_ With another glance to make sure she was, in fact, secured - they hovered to a safe flying height before taking off. Luz and Eda waved until they could no longer see them.  _

_ It was a nice day outside with a light breeze ruffling their hair as they flew. Emira would cheer loudly every time the swing would rock slightly, simulating a rollercoaster or ride. Lilith couldn’t help but grin. But Emira had to quiet down as they approached the neighborhood, in case anyone heard and saw them with Lilith and Amity. Expertly, Lilith landed the staff a few corners away from Blight Manor.  _

_ “Alright, you two have everything? I’m not going to be making any trips here, am I?” Lilith asked, making the two shake their heads, “Good. You two get some rest. Good luck with pictures tomorrow.”  _

_ “Thanks, Lilith.” Edric and Emira said in unison, giving the woman a side-hug.  _

_ “See you tomorrow, Mittens!” Ed smiled before the two walked off. Amity and Lilith watched them go, making sure they were safe before flying off.  _

_ After a good night's rest, the four of them did have a wonderful picture day. Luz’s purple streak and Amity’s natural hair were all anyone could talk about. Willow had even gushed over Amity’s hair, which made the girl in question blush brightly.  _

_ Even though nobody knew that they’d also had their hair done, Edric and Emira also had a good picture day. Their hair seemed much more cooperative that morning, making it much easier to style. They kept looking at their pictures proudly. _

_ Each child was given two copies of their yearbook photo, unless extras had been purchased, which wasn’t the case for any of them. Clutching their original copies, the twins sneakily put their extra copy in the envelope holding Amity’s. Luz saved one for the Owl House and one to save for her Mami even if she couldn’t send it. And Amity saved both of her copies. She’d keep one in her diary and she knew Lilith would want to put the other one up somewhere in the house.  _

_ Lilith was pleased to see how well the photo turned out. Though she would have put the photo out even if it hadn’t been a good one. Her child was in the yearbook, that was reason enough to be proud. So with a very warm, fond smile, she found a place in the front room for the photo.  _

_ And if she put Edric and Emira’s up with Amity’s as well, who was going to stop her?  _

**Author's Note:**

> There are 100% some things I am forgetting to mention in these authors notes. I'm sure you'll remind me of them in your reviews. I hope you all liked this! 
> 
> [ringing a bell] spare reviews? spare reviews for a poor little lass?


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